Page 33 of Mia Amata

I finished all my chores early, checked on supper, and decided I had time to soak in the tub. I took the book I was still working on with me and enjoyed a nice long soak with Lucky lying on the floor next to the tub. While I was in the tub, Jacob sent a text stating he would swing by after work to help me. It seemed like we were constantly being thrown together, whether we liked it or not.

After my bath, I threw on shorts and a V-neck shirt. I went into the kitchen and put the rolls in the oven, having kneaded the dough earlier and letting it rise again. I grabbed ingredients for a salad and started chopping up the vegetables for it. Once that was done, I made a homemade vinaigrette, putting that in the refrigerator until it was time to eat. Everything was almost done, so I decided to take Lucky out before Jacob got there. I stood at the rail watching Lucky run around, chasing some bug I couldn’t see from here. I heard Jacob knock on the door, so I went inside, leaving the door open for Lucky.

I opened the door. Jacob was wearing shorts and a tank, showing his tan body. “Hey, Mia Amata.” He smiled.

“Hey back.” I moved to the side to let him in. I closed the door behind him. “Thank you for stopping by. It wasn’t urgent.”

“It’s not a problem. Josh said you had some planters you needed to set out, but there was a problem?” he asked.

“Yes, the planters I bought don’t seem to want to fit, even though I took measurements with me when I bought them.”

“Where are they? I will take a look.” I showed him to the back deck. “You lifted these to the rails?” he asked.

Confused, I said, “Yes. I carried them from the garage, then tried setting them on the railings.”

He shook his head. “You should have asked for help. I would have been happy to lift these for you.” Feeling a little insulted, I retorted, “I’m perfectly able to carry things. I just need help mounting them to the railings.”

“Sorry,” he replied, “I didn’t mean anything. I’m sure you are capable. Let me see if I can figure out what the problem is.”

“It’s OK. I need to do some work on the front porch. Let me know if you need anything.” I went out to the front, setting up a ladder, so I could hang the potted plants from the roof overhang between the posts. I went to the garage, getting my hanging plants, carrying them to the front porch. I climbed up the ladder to place the hook for the first plant. I reached up with the drill in hand to make the first hole. All of a sudden, a wave of dizziness hit me, and I found myself falling from the ladder. I cried out, unable to catch myself, landing on my back on the floor of the front porch. I lay there trying to catch my breath, but blacked out, unable to fight it.

I came to with Jacob kneeling next to me, calling my name. “Please, answer me.”

“I’m OK.” I tried to sit up.

“Lay still,” he demanded, “the ambulance is on the way.”

“I’m fine. I don’t need an ambulance.”

“Mia, you fell off a ladder and were unconscious. You need to get checked out. You scared the hell out of me.”

“I’m sorry,” I said weakly, closing my eyes, drifting to sleep.

“Mia Amata, stay with me. You have nothing to apologize for. Come on baby, don’t leave me.” Jacob was very anxious.

I barely caught what he said, but I tried to open my eyes. “My baby. Is she OK?” I asked drowsily.

Jacob was confused, “Lucky? He is fine. I put him in the house.”

I shook my head, “No.My baby. I’m pregnant. Please. Is my baby OK?” I started drifting off. I started to shiver.

“You and the baby will be fine, just lay still. Hang on, I’ll grab a blanket.” He ran into the living room, coming back with a throw from the couch and covered me up. “Stay with me baby, please don’t leave me.”

The ambulance soon arrived, and I was loaded onto a gurney. They told Jacob to follow the ambulance in his truck. He ran into the house, shut the oven off, grabbing my purse for my insurance card, then followed us to the local hospital.

Once at the ER, the doctor came out to talk to Jacob. I was drowsy, it was difficult to get information from me. Jacob explained what happened and also told him that I was pregnant, but he didn’t know how far along I was. The doctor asked a few more questions and then went back into the examination room.

About two hours later, the doctor came out to get Jacob, bringing him into the room where I was sitting on the side of the bed. “Hi,” I said quietly.

“Are you OK?”

“I’m fine. The doctor says I have a slight concussion, but otherwise, I’m OK. I’m so sorry to cause so much trouble for you.”

“Please stop apologizing. I’m just so relieved you are OK.”

“I need to bother you for one more thing. Can you give me a ride home?” I asked. The doctor was listening to our conversation.

“Mr.Vance. I need someone to keep an eye on her tonight. She should be fine, but with a concussion there could be issues that arise in the first 24 hours. Do you think you can arrange that?”

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